The weather has been so beautiful these past few weeks. I've been going to the Old Oakland Farmers Market every Friday and lugging a huge crate of strawberries on BART, in my car, and straight into the fridge. It's totally worth it. Lucas and Theo love them so much and get strawberry face every time they're done downing them. We've been making ice pops which I realize Lucas might love more than ice cream. Cool, because it's way easier for me to make and lot healthier. Here's a recipe for strawberry basil ice pops adapted from the Ice Pops cookbook. Enjoy!

Strawberry-Basil Ice Pops

1/3 cup organic sugar (or your sweetener of choice)

1/3 cup fresh organice basil leaves, roughly chopped

2 ½ cups organic strawberries, hulled

1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Pinch of salt

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and basil. Pour in 1/3 cup water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has completely dissolved and a syrup has formed. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

Using a fine-mesh sieve, strain the basil syrup into a blender or food processor, discarding the basil leaves. Add the strawberries, lemon juice, and salt. Process until very smooth or keep it a little chunky.

If using conventional ice pop molds, divide the mixture among the molds. Cover and freeze until solid, at least 4 hours or up to 3 days. If using sticks, insert them into the molds when the pops are partially frozen, after about 1 hour, then freeze until solid, at least 3 more hours.